Elevon control system

ABSTRACT

A system comprising an aerial vehicle or an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) ( 100, 400, 1000, 1500 ) configured to control pitch, roll, and/or yaw via airfoils ( 141, 142, 1345, 1346 ) having resiliently mounted trailing edges opposed by fuselage-house deflecting actuator horns ( 621, 622 ). Embodiments include one or more rudder elements ( 1045, 1046, 1145, 1146, 1245, 1345, 1346, 1445, 1446, 1545, 1546 ) which may be rotatably attached and actuated by an effector member ( 1049, 1149, 1249, 1349 ) disposed within the fuselage housing ( 1001 ) and extendible in part to engage the one or more rudder elements.

This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application Ser. No. 61/240,985 filed Sep. 9, 2009, which ishereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for allpurposes.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments pertain to aerial vehicles, and to an aileron control systemof aerial vehicles and/or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

BACKGROUND

The flight control of an aerial vehicle such as a UAV may be configuredvia combination of elevators, ailerons, rudders, and/or structuralcombinations: e.g., flaps and ailerons combined as flaperons; elevatorsand rudders combined as elevons, rudders and elevators combined asruddervators. An airfoil for a UAV may include an actuator and a hingedflap that may be actuated about a hinge line to function as a controlsurface for a subsonic UAV.

DISCLOSURE

An aerial vehicle comprising a fuselage housing a first fuselage-mountedeffector; a first airfoil comprising a first control surface resilientlymounted to the first airfoil, wherein the first control surface isopposed by the first fuselage-mounted effector; a second airfoil,rotatably attached to the fuselage housing; and a secondfuselage-mounted effector disposed within the fuselage housing andextendible in part to engage the second airfoil. The air vehicle may bemanned or unmanned. The air vehicle fuselage housing may comprise athird fuselage-mounted effector; and a third airfoil comprising a secondcontrol surface resiliently mounted to the third airfoil. Additionally,the air vehicle may comprise a fourth airfoil, rotatably attached to thefuselage housing. In other embodiments, the air vehicle fuselage housinghaving a third-fuselage-mounted effector; and a third airfoil comprisinga second control surface resiliently mounted to the third airfoil mayalso comprise a mid-body, wherein the first airfoil and the thirdairfoil are disposed along the fuselage mid-body. In other embodiments,the fuselage may further comprise a tapered aft portion, wherein thesecond airfoil and the fourth airfoil are disposed along the tapered aftportion of the fuselage.

In some embodiments, a manned or unmanned aerial vehicle may comprise afuselage housing a first fuselage-mounted effector, wherein the firstfuselage-mounted effector is a first actuator horn extendible via afirst fuselage aperture; a first airfoil comprising a first controlsurface resiliently mounted to the first airfoil, that may be a trailingedge of the first airfoil articulated at a lineal joint about the firstairfoil, wherein the first control surface is opposed by the firstfuselage-mounted effector; a second airfoil, rotatably attached to thefuselage housing; and a second fuselage-mounted effector disposed withinthe fuselage housing and extendible in part to engage the secondairfoil. Additionally, the third fuselage-mounted effector may be asecond actuator horn extendible via a second fuselage aperture, forexample.

In another embodiment, a method of aerial vehicle flight control maycomprise: providing a first resiliently mounted control surface opposedby a first fuselage-mounted actuator horn; and deflecting the firstresiliently mounted control surface via the first fuselage-mountedactuator horn based on one or more command signals.

In another embodiment, an aerial vehicle may comprise: a fuselage,comprising a housing tapering aftward, wherein the aft portion of thefuselage tapers by an angle defined in part by the first airfoil; afirst airfoil which may be resiliently mounted to the fuselage housing,and/or rotatably attached to the fuselage housing and/or mounted to thefuselage housing via a hinge; and an effector member disposed within thefuselage housing and extendible in part to engage the first airfoil.Additionally, the first airfoil may rotate around an axis and the axisof rotation may be canted relative to the longitudinal axis of thefuselage housing. This first airfoil may be responsive to a translationof the effector member, wherein the effector member is extendiblelaterally relative to the longitudinal axis of the fuselage housing andwherein the effector member is engaged by an actuator to effect theangular rotation of the first airfoil and the effector member may befurther extendible from a fuselage aperture, wherein the effector membertranslates in a single axis.

In another embodiment, an aerial vehicle may comprise: a fuselage,comprising a housing tapering aftward, wherein the aft portion of thefuselage tapers by an angle defined in part by the first airfoil; afirst airfoil which may be resiliently mounted to the fuselage housing,and/or rotatably attached to the fuselage housing and/or mounted to thefuselage housing via a hinge; and an effector member disposed within thefuselage housing and extendible in part to engage the first airfoilwherein the axis of rotation is about a hinge-line canted relative tothe longitudinal axis of the fuselage housing and the first airfoil isresponsive to the translation of the effector member. Additionally, theaerial vehicle effector member may be extendible laterally relative tothe longitudinal axis of the fuselage housing, may be further extendiblefrom a fuselage aperture, may translate in a single axis, and may beengaged by an actuator to effect the angular rotation of the firstairfoil.

In another embodiment, a method of aerial vehicle flight control maycomprise: providing a first resiliently mounted control surface opposedby a first fuselage-mounted actuator horn; and deflecting the firstresiliently mounted control surface via the first fuselage-mountedactuator horn based on one or more command signals that may furthercomprise: a second airfoil, rotatably attached to the fuselage housing;wherein the second airfoil opposes the first airfoil; wherein the aftportion of the fuselage tapers by an angle defined further by the secondairfoil; wherein the first airfoil and the second airfoil abut theopposing ends of the effector member; and

wherein the effector member engages the first airfoil and the secondairfoil. Additionally, the first airfoil and the second airfoil may movein cooperation with each other and/or may be resiliently mounted to thefuselage housing; wherein the axis of rotation of the first airfoil andsecond airfoil are canted relative to a longitudinal axis of thefuselage housing; wherein the first airfoil and the second airfoil areresponsive to the translation of the effector member;wherein the effector member is extendible laterally relative to thelongitudinal axis of the fuselage housing; wherein the effector memberis engaged by an actuator to effect the angular rotation of the firstairfoil and the second airfoil; wherein the effector member is furtherextendible from a fuselage aperture; and wherein the effector membertranslates in a single axis. Additionally, the first airfoil may bemounted to the fuselage housing via a hinge;wherein the axis of rotation is about a hinge-line canted relative to alongitudinal axis of the fuselage housing; wherein the first airfoil andthe second airfoil are responsive to the translation of the effectormember; wherein the effector member is extendible laterally relative tothe longitudinal axis of the fuselage housing; wherein the effectormember is engaged by an actuator to effect the angular rotation of thefirst airfoil and the second airfoil;wherein the effector member is further extendible from a fuselageaperture; and wherein the effector member translates in a single axis.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments are illustrated by way of example and not limitation in thefigures of the accompanying drawings, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an air vehicle embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the air vehicle embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a top level functional block diagram of a system architectureembodiment;

FIG. 4 is a bottom perspective view of an embodiment in a retractedstate;

FIG. 5 is a bottom perspective view of an embodiment in a deployedstate;

FIG. 6 is a bottom perspective view of an embodiment of the presentinvention in a deployed state depicting contact by an extendingstarboard horn and a deflecting trailing edge;

FIG. 7A depicts a side view of the port airfoil-trailing edge region ofan embodiment of the present invention illustrating a horn of the portactuator that has been actuated to contact the top surface of the porttrailing edge;

FIG. 7B depicts a side view of the port airfoil-trailing edge region ofan embodiment of the present invention illustrating a horn of the portactuator actuated to deflect angularly the top surface of a porttrailing edge relative to a top surface of the port airfoil;

FIG. 7C depicts a cross-sectional view of an airfoil an elevatedtrailing edge produced by an unopposed resilient element;

FIG. 7D depicts a cross-sectional view of an airfoil an in-line trailingedge produced by a fuselage-based actuator horn extending to oppose theresilient element;

FIG. 7E depicts a cross-sectional view of an airfoil a deflectedtrailing edge produced by an fuselage-based actuator horn furtherextending to oppose the resilient element;

FIG. 8A depicts a cross-sectional view of an embodiment, aft of theactuator horns and looking forward, a starboard actuator horn in contactwith the starboard trailing edge relative to the top of the starboardairfoil;

FIG. 8B depicts a cross-sectional view of an embodiment, aft of theactuator horns and looking forward, a deflection of the starboardtrailing edge relative to the top of the starboard airfoil;

FIG. 9 depicts a functional block diagram where an elevator command andaileron command may be output and combined to provide commands to a portactuator and a starboard actuator;

FIG. 10A depicts a top view of an embodiment showing the tapered aftportion of an air vehicle;

FIG. 10B depicts a side elevational view of an embodiment where therudders are shown as they would deploy to control the yawing motion;

FIG. 11A depicts an exemplary pre-deployment position of the ruddersurfaces;

FIG. 11B depicts an exemplary beginning stage of deployment position ofthe rudder surfaces;

FIG. 11C depicts an exemplary stage of deployment position of the ruddersurfaces;

FIG. 11D depicts an exemplary stage of deployment position of the ruddersurfaces as they are deployed and received by the actuator;

FIG. 12A is a plan view of a portion of an air vehicle embodimentdepicting the rotation of a single rudder;

FIG. 12B is a plan view of a portion of an air vehicle embodimentdepicting the next stage of rotation of a single rudder;

FIG. 12C is a plan view of a portion of an air vehicle embodimentdepicting the next stage of rotation of a single rudder;

FIG. 12D is a plan view of a portion of an air vehicle embodimentdepicting the next stage of rotation of a single rudder;

FIG. 12E is a plan view of a portion of an air vehicle embodiment as therudder has attached to the fuselage wall;

FIG. 12F is a plan view of a portion of an air vehicle embodiment withthe effector member attached to the rudder and holding it in place;

FIG. 13A is a side angle view of a tapered aft portion of an air vehicledepicting an exemplary pre-deployment position of a rudder surface;

FIG. 13B is a side angle view of a tapered aft portion of an air vehicledepicting an exemplary mid-deployment position of the rudder surfaces;

FIG. 13C is a side angle view of a tapered aft portion of an air vehicledepicting an exemplary post-deployment position of the rudder surfaces;

FIG. 13D is a cut-away view of the aft section of an air vehicledepicting an actuator effecting an actuator rod;

FIG. 14A is a back view of a tapered aft portion of an air vehicledepicting the rudders as being in the folded state;

FIG. 14B is a back view of a tapered aft portion of an air vehicledepicting the rudders as being in the beginning stages of deployment;

FIG. 14C is a back view of a tapered aft portion of an air vehicledepicting the rudders as they are in the middle of deployment;

FIG. 14D is a back view of a tapered aft portion of an air vehicledepicting the rudders at they are finishing their deployment;

FIG. 14E is a back view of a tapered aft portion of an air vehicledepicting the rudders standing against the fuselage wall and fullydeployed;

FIG. 14F is a back view of a tapered aft portion of an air vehicledepicting the rudders being engaged by the actuator rod;

FIG. 15A is a plan view of an air vehicle embodiment showing a rotatablesurface with rudders mounted on the platform;

FIG. 15B is a side elevational view of the air vehicle embodimentshowing a rotatable surface with rudders mounted on the platform; and

FIG. 16 depicts a functional block diagram where an elevator command, anaileron command, and a rudder command may be output and combined toprovide commands to a port actuator and a starboard actuator.

BEST MODES

Reference is made to the drawings that illustrate exemplary embodiments.FIG. 1 illustrates a top view of an exemplary embodiment of the UAVportion 100 of the present invention. The exemplary UAV comprises afront end 110 having a homing sensor 111, e.g., a pixel array forsensing visible and/or infrared light, and deployable payload 112, e.g.,a warhead or other attack munitions, a deployable electronicsubassembly, and a pigmenting capsule. The front end 110 may alsoinclude an electronics assembly (EA) 113, or avionics, that may includea guidance processor comprising guidance instructions that, whenexecuted, take in information pertaining to the UAV position, linearand/or rotational velocities, linear accelerations and/or attitude, andgenerate commands for either or both autopilot processing and/or enginecontrol processing or remote human pilot processing. The UAV maycomprise one or more power sources 114, such as battery units or fuelcells and power conditioning circuits. The UAV may includevehicle-specific sensors, e.g., a GPS antenna and GPS receiver, e.g., aspart of the EA and/or attitude and/or rate gyroscopes and/or linearaccelerometers that may be proximate to the EA and/or vehicle center ofgravity. The UAV may include mode of thrust generation, such as apropeller 130 and a propeller motor 131, and other embodiments may use,separately or in combination, turbine motors and/or rocket motors. TheUAV may have lifting surfaces such as wing 141,142, tail 143,144 andrudder surfaces 145,146. The wing surfaces may have actuated controlpanels 147,148, operating as elevons, or may be embodied as wings aselevators and the tail surfaces may have actuated control panels,operating as ailerons. The UAV may be statically stable in yaw, and maybe augmented by articulated trailing sections of the one or more ruddersurfaces. Some embodiments of the UAV may have a two-rudder assemblymounted on a rotatable platform that may be conformal to the UAVfuselage to effect an augmentation in yaw control.

FIG. 2 shows in side view the exemplary UAV where the wing 142 is shownwith the trailing control surface 148 in motion and with two antennawires (not to scale) extending from the fuselage 201. One antennaelement may be used as an uplink 210, particularly for receiving a modecontrol signal that effects a transition from a terminal homing mode toa surveillance/reconnaissance, or loiter, mode or a transition fromsurveillance to a homing mode. Another antennal element may be used as adownlink 220 for transmitting data such as live video, automatic videotracking status, flight parameters, and/or UAV states. A GPS antenna 230may be mounted conformably or within the fuselage, i.e., behind the skinof the fuselage when made of material largely transparent (low loss) inthe GPS frequency bands. Generally, the GPS antenna may be mounted to becapable of receiving signals from a GPS satellite constellation.

FIG. 3 shows an exemplary functional block diagram of the UAV processingand guidance and control subsystem 300 where the guidance sensor 310provides information about the external environment pertaining toseeking processing of a seeker processor 320. A guidance sensor, andmore generally, a guidance sensor suite, may include a passive and/oractive radar subsystem, an infrared detection subsystem, an infraredimaging subsystem, a visible light imaging subsystem such as a videocamera-based subsystem, an ultraviolet light detection subsystem, andcombinations thereof. The seeker processor 320 may include both imageprocessing and target tracking processing, and target designation orre-designation input 321 that may be received from an uplink receiver335 and/or as an output of a guidance process 330. The image processingand/or target tracking information 322 may be transmitted via a downlinktransmitter 323, which may be a part of an uplink/downlink transceiver.The guidance processor 330, in executing instructions for guidanceprocessing, may take in the target information 324 from the seekerprocessing 320, and UAV flight status information such as position,velocity and attitude from the GPS receiver 331, and gyroscopes andaccelerometers 332, if any. The guidance processor 330, to receivereconnaissance waypoints and/or surveillance optimizing trajectories,may reference a memory store 333. For system embodiments, the guidanceprocess 330 may receive, by way of an external data port 334, e.g.,during a pre-launch phase, or by way of an uplink receiver 335, e.g.,during a post-launch phase, receive and/or upload reconnaissancewaypoints and/or surveillance optimizing trajectories. The guidanceprocessor 330, as part of executing instructions for determining flightpath, a trajectory, or a course steering angle and direction, mayreference the waypoint and/or surveillance optimizing trajectoryinformation, particularly when not in a terminal homing mode. Theguidance processor 330 may receive a command via an uplink receiver 335to switch or otherwise transition from a terminal homing mode to asurveillance mode, i.e., non-terminal homing mode, and switch from asurveillance mode to a terminal homing mode. For example, a visualtarget lock by the seeker processing 330 may be tracked with referenceto GPS coordinates and integrated into a terminal homing solutioniteratively determined by the guidance processor executing instructionspertaining to determining a revisable terminal solution.

An example of a terminal homing mode may be proportional navigation witha gravity bias for strike sub-modes of the terminal homing mode, and anacceleration bias for aerial intercept sub-modes of the terminal homingmode. The guidance processing 330 and autopilot processing 340 mayexecute instruction to effect a bank-to-turn guidance, for example, inan elevon embodiment, to redirect the air vehicle by reorienting itsvelocity vector. For example, one or more control surfaces may bereoriented via one or more control surface actuators 350 causing forcesand torques to reorient the air vehicle and the portion of its linearacceleration that is orthogonal to its velocity vector. The portion ofthe linear acceleration of the air vehicle that is along the velocityvector is greatly affected by aerodynamic drag, and the linearacceleration may be increased via a motor processor 360 and a propellermotor 370. For embodiments with full three-axis control, additionalcontrol topologies may be implemented including skid-to-turn and otherproportion-integral-differential guidance and control architectures aswell. The seeker processing, guidance processing, motor processing,and/or autopilot processing may be executed by a single microprocessorhaving addressable memory and/or the processing may be distributed totwo or more microprocessors in distributed communication, e.g., via adata bus.

FIG. 4 illustrates in a bottom perspective view an exemplary air vehicle400 embodiment having a first pair of airfoils in a retracted positionand a second pair of airfoils in a retracted position disposed on abottom portion 402 of the fuselage 401 of the air vehicle 400. Alsoshown in FIG. 4 is an exemplary propeller hub 430. To rotate into adeployed position, a first exemplary pair of airfoils 410 that may pivotabout a forward pivot point 411 and a second exemplary pair of airfoils420 that may pivot about an aft pivot point 421. In certain embodiments,the retracted positions of the airfoil allow the air vehicle to bestored prior to deployment and/or for other uses and convenienttransport.

FIG. 5 illustrates in a bottom perspective view an exemplary air vehicleembodiment having two pairs of airfoils 410,420 in a deployed position.The exemplary forward pair of airfoils 410 is depicted as each havingarticulated trailing edge portions 541,542 and bottom-mounted resilientelements 551,552.

FIG. 6 illustrates another bottom perspective view of the exemplary airvehicle 400 embodiment where the fuselage 401, particularly in thisillustration the bottom portion 402, is shown having a port aperture 611and a starboard aperture 612 from which an actuating horn 621,622protrudes from each aperture. The bottom side of the airfoil-trailingedge region proximate to the fuselage for both forward airfoils is eachdepicted as having a resilient or flexible fixture 551,552.

FIG. 7A depicts a side view the port airfoil-trailing edge region wherethe horn 621 of the port actuator 721 has been actuated to contact thetop surface of the port trailing edge 541. An exemplary airfoil 710 maycomprise two internal structural elements, e.g., a main liftingstructural planar element 711 and a control surface structural element712. FIG. 7B depicts a side view the port airfoil-trailing edge regionwhere the horn of the port actuator has been actuated 730 to deflectangularly the top surface of the port trailing edge 541 relative to thetop surface of the port airfoil 725. FIG. 7C depicts, in across-sectional view of an airfoil 710, an elevated trailing edge 541produced by an unopposed resilient element 551. A coating 713 may bedisposed about the two exemplary structural elements 711,712 and mayfill the lineal gap 714 between the lifting surface 711 and the controlsurface 712 elements. The coating material thereby may define theplanform of the airfoil 710, and may be selected from materials such asresins, plastics, and synthetic rubbers, to provide in part, flexurealong the lineal gap and provide for substantially laminar flow in lowsub-subsonic flight conditions. FIG. 7D depicts a cross-sectional viewof the airfoil 710, an in-line trailing edge 541 produced by afuselage-based actuator horn 621 extending 730 to oppose the resilientelement 551. FIG. 7E depicts a cross-sectional view of the airfoil 710,a deflected trailing edge 541 produced by an fuselage-based actuatorhorn 621 further extending 740 to oppose the resilient element 551. Asimilar arrangement may be applied to leading edge control surfaces,instead of, or in addition to the illustrative trailing edge controlsurfaces. Likewise, the aft pair of airfoils may include trailing edgecontrol surfaces and fuselage-based extendable actuator horns.

FIG. 8A depicts a cross-sectional view, aft of the actuator horns621,622 and looking forward, a starboard actuator horn 622 in contactwith the starboard trailing edge 542 relative to the top of thestarboard airfoil 801. FIG. 8B depicts a cross-sectional view, aft ofthe actuator horns 621,622 and looking forward, a deflection 822 of thestarboard trailing edge 542 relative to the top of the starboard airfoil801 in response to the rotation 821 of the starboard actuator horn 622.

FIG. 9 depicts a functional block diagram 900 where, from autopilotprocessing 340, an elevator command 910, δ_(e), and aileron command 920,δ_(a), may be output as voltage commands and combined according to mixerlogic 930 to provide a port actuator command 931 and a starboardactuator command 932. The mixer logic 930 may be embodied as part of theautopilot processing or embodied as a separate module or circuit. A portactuator 950 may be configured where positive voltages drive the portactuator horn in a retracting direction and negative voltages drive theport actuator horn in an extending direction. Likewise, a starboardactuator 960 may be configured where positive voltages drive thestarboard actuator horn in a retracting direction and negative voltagesdrive the starboard actuator horn in an extending direction. The portactuator 950 and starboard actuator 960 may be configured withextension/retraction feedback that may further regulate and/or refinethe actuator horn positioning. In some embodiments, the air vehicle maybe configured where the trailing edges are initially deflected upwarddue to the rotational force provided by each of the respective resilientmembers. In an example, where the airfoils are disposed along the bottomof the fuselage and the top of the fuselage is oriented skyward, thetrailing edge deflections may produce upward pitching moments that inturn may be reduced or brought to null, i.e., trim, by the rotationalextension of each of the actuator horns. In some embodiments, linearactuators may replace the exemplary rotational actuators actuating thecontact horns.

In addition to the actuatable control surfaces as set forth herein,e.g., the control panels 147,148, operating as elevons, embodiments mayhave additional such surfaces. These control surfaces may also bedeployable to allow the UAV to be configured for storage, such as withina launch tube, or configured for operation, e.g., flight. The particularlocation(s) and/or orientations of such deployable control surfaces mayvary depending on how the control surface(s) will effect movement of thevehicle about one or more of its degrees of freedom, e.g., a rudder toimpart a yawing motion to the vehicle. As with the elevons 147,148, foreach such additional actuatable control surface, one or more actuatorsare arranged so that after deployment of the control surface theactuator(s) will interact with the surface(s) to cause the desiredactuation.

In embodiments the UAV includes a fuselage, where a deployable controlsurface assembly, e.g., a vertical stabilizer and/or rudder, is mountedat or near the aft portion of the UAV. The deployment of the controlsurface assembly may be achieved by a variety of means includingsliding, pivoting, rotating, or the like, into position. Embodimentshave a control surface assembly that rotates about a hinge having aspring positioned, such as about the hinge, so to impart a biasing forceto urge the control surface assembly from its stored position to itsoperational position.

For example, the UAV may include one or more vertical stabilizers and/orrudders that rotate into position about an axis of rotation. Suchcontrol surfaces may be positioned along the tapered portion of thefuselage at the aft portion of the fuselage, wherein such tapering maybe configured to retain the control surfaces and other components (suchas a folded propeller) while in their stored position. After deploymentfrom their stored position to their operational position, the ruddersmay be rotated and/or deflected by an effector member that may bedisposed transversely within the fuselage housing and extendible in partto engage the rudders. The effector member may be driven by an actuator.Once engaged, the ends of the effector member abut the rudders byaffixing, sticking, snapping or otherwise securing to the ruddersurfaces as a result in part of the resilient tension and/or airpressure. The axis of rotation of the rudders may be a crease or a hingefor example—resiliently mounted or spring loaded—canted relative to alongitudinal axis of the UAV. The longitudinal axis of the UAV extendsthrough the center of the fuselage from the nose to the tail, passingthrough the center of gravity of the UAV. Further, the rudders may berotated and or deflected via an actuator, e.g., via a shaft or pushroddriven by an actuator. As such, a single hinge functions to both allow arudder to rotate thereabout during deployment from the stored to theoperational positions, as well as for the rudders to rotate thereabout,when after deployment, the rudder is moved or deflected by the actuator.

FIG. 10A illustrates a top view of an exemplary embodiment of the UAVportion 1000 of the present invention. The exemplary UAV comprises afuselage 1001 which may include an electronics assembly (EA) 1013, oravionics, that may include a guidance processor comprising guidanceinstructions that, when executed, take in information pertaining to theUAV position, linear and/or rotational velocities, linear accelerationsand/or attitude, and generate commands for either or both autopilotprocessing and/or engine control processing or remote human pilotprocessing. The UAV may include mode of thrust generation, such as apropeller 1030. The UAV may have lifting surfaces such as wing1041,1042, tail 1043,1044, and rudder surfaces 1045,1046. The fuselage1001 in this embodiment contains a portion of the housing 1050 whichtapers aftward. This tapering is configured to retain the controlsurfaces and the folded propeller while in stored positions. The ruddersurfaces may counter the adverse yaw and may be used for control tostabilize, point and/or turn the UAV via an actuated control element1049, which may for example be a rod or a curved horn rotatable about anactuator shaft. The UAV may be statically stable in yaw, however in theexemplary embodiment of FIG. 10A, the rudders 1045,1046 may vary theamount of lateral force generated by the tail surface, and accordinglythe deflection of the rudders out of the wind stream may be used togenerate and control the yawing motion of the UAV, e.g., to point thecenterline of the UAV. That is, the rudder surfaces may be used tocontrol the position of the nose of the UAV. The UAV turns are caused bybanking the UAV to one side using either aileron or elevon. The bankingmay cause the flight path of the UAV to curve and therefore the ruddersurfaces 1045,1046 may help to ensure the UAV is aligned with the curvedflight path correctly and that the turn is coordinated. Otherwise, theUAV may encounter additional drag that may move the UAV off the flightpath and its sensors may not be directed as desired. The rudders mayalso be used to point or direct the UAV to allow the UAV's sensorsand/or munitions to be aimed to a desired direction. It should be notedthat while two rudders are shown in the embodiment of FIG. 10A, one ormore than two rudders or other control surfaces, positioned at otherlocations along the fuselage or other component of the UAV may beemployed. It should be noted that any such deployable control surfacemay be angled or canted so that it is capable of moving the UAV aboutmore than one degree of freedom. In some embodiments, there may be morethan a single actuator for two or more control surfaces such that thesurfaces can be moved separately and/or independently from each other.

FIG. 10B depicts a side elevational view of FIG. 10A showing twopositions of an exemplary rudders 1046. The rudder 1046 is depicted asit may sit against the fuselage wall and against the tapered aft portion1050 and the rudder may deploy to control the yawing motion. Anexemplary canted hinge line 1060 determines the axis of rotation, andserves as a pivot line for the rudder deployment. The hinge 1060 mayinclude a spring to bias the rudder 1046 from its stored positionagainst the fuselage portion 1050 up to its operational position as wellas bias the rudder against the actuator. The figure also shows the wing1042, tail 1044, and propeller 1030.

FIGS. 11A-11D depict in a top view, an exemplary deployment of therudder surfaces 1145,1146. FIG. 11A shows in top view a portion of theexemplary UAV with rudder surfaces 1145,1146 in a folded state and aneffector element, e.g., a rod 1149. The UAV as shown is in thepre-deployment stage and the rudders 1145,1146 are forward and flushagainst the tapered aft portion 1150 of the fuselage 1110. Hinges1155,1156 are shown connecting the rudders to the fuselage. FIG. 11Bshows the UAV in the beginning stages of deployment, where the rudders1145,1146 may be forced to deploy from the dynamic pressure on thesurfaces and/or, as in this example, from a spring load force. Thesprings providing such force can be positioned at or about the hingeswhere the springs apply forces on the rudders to move them from thestored position to the operational position and to bias them thereafter.As illustrated, the rudders 1145,1146 rotate about the hinges 1155,1156with the hinge-axis 1160,1161 respectfully, as they are being deployed.FIG. 11C shows the rudders 1145,1146 further along in deployment as therudders 1145,1146 have rotated about the hinge-axis 1160. FIG. 11D showsthe actuator horn or rod 1149—as it projects out of the fuselage andabove the hinge-axis 1160—so as to facilitate engaging the rudders1145,1146 once deployed. The actuator rod 1149 is shown as extended outof the fuselage body where it may engage the rudders 1145,1146 afterdeployment and stop the rotational movement at each end of the rod. Therudders 1145,1146 may be connected to the rod ends 1147,1148 via afastening means, e.g., a set of at least magnets, clasps, clips,flanges, pegs, pins, Velcro™, or combinations thereof. In this example,the length of the actuator rod 1149 may not extend beyond the lateralwidth of the fuselage minus the width of the surface of the rudders1145,1146.

FIGS. 12A-12F depict an exemplary deployment of a single rudder surface1245 system as it moves through in different stages. FIG. 12A shows intop view the exemplary UAV where the yaw control is shown as having onerudder 1245. This view focuses on the rudder—in a folded state—and aneffector element, e.g., a rod 1249. This embodiment depicts the rudderas a forward-folding vertical tail before being deployed from thelauncher tube. The rod 1249 is placed inside the fuselage housing 1201and may be used for actuating the movement of the rudder 1245. FIG. 12Bshows the same UAV as FIG. 12A—as the UAV is being deployed and exitingthe launcher tube—where the rudder 1245 rotates about an axis 1260,e.g., a hinge line. FIG. 12C shows the rudder 1245 further along in thedeployment stage as the rudder 1245 continues to rotate about thehinge-axis 1260. A bigger portion of the top surface area of the rudderis visible at this point. In FIG. 12D as the rudder 1245 continuesmovement along the axis line, less of the top surface is visible fromthis top view. FIG. 12E shows the end of deployment with the fullydeployed rudder 1245 abutting the fuselage wall. FIG. 12F further showsthe same UAV where the rudder 1245 has fully deployed after exiting thelauncher tube and has come into contact with the rod 1249. In someembodiments, the rod 1249 as depicted in this figure may have magnets onthe ends with metal tab on the rudder 1245 to facilitate the capturingof the rudder 1245. FIG. 12F also depicts the movement of the rudder asit is being engaged by the actuator rod and shows the rotational axisassociated with the rudders.

FIG. 13A depicts a side view of the tapered aft portion of the fuselage1301 where the rudder 1345 and the propeller 1330—both in a foldedstate—have wrapped around and tucked inward as the UAV may be inside alauncher tube or in a pre-deployment stage. This view further depictsthe position of an exemplary actuator rod 1349 as it may sit inside thefuselage housing 1301, and extends out from two opposing apertureslocated above a rudder axis of rotation, e.g., hinge line 1355. Thisview shows the axis of rotation, canted relative to the longitudinalaxis of the UAV. The canted hinge line may range from greater than zeroup to 90 degrees. Some embodiments as shows in these examples have acanted angle which ranges between 30 to 60 degrees. A canted angle of 45degree may be used. FIG. 13B depicts the same side view, the rudders1345,1346 of the UAV as it is being deployed and demonstrates theposition of the propeller 1330 after deployment and the rudders1345,1346 as they are rotating about the axis of the hinge line 1355.FIG. 13C shows the rudders 1345,1346 fully deployed and the actuator rodfastened to the rudders via a fastening method, e.g., a set of at leastmagnets, clasps, clips, flanges, pegs, pins, Velcro™, or combinationsthereof. The actuator rod 1349 may be controlled via an actuator, e.g.,a set of at least electro mechanical linkage, a gear or gear assembly,and/or worm-gear. In one embodiment, the rotation of the rudders may bevia the actuator engaging the rod to translate the rod against thespring return force of resiliently mounted rudders. The actuator rodserves to ensure the rudders 1345,1346 move in cooperation with eachother thereby providing yaw control.

FIG. 13D is a cut away-view of an aft section of an embodiment depictingthe fuselage 1301 where the rudders 1345,1346—both deployed—have beenengaged by an effector member, e.g., a rod 1349. The actuator rod 1349is depicted as housed inside the fuselage 1301, and extending outside ofthe fuselage from two opposing apertures 1375,1376 located above arudder axis of rotation of a hinge 1354, e.g., a canted hinge line 1355.In some embodiments the hinge 1354 may comprise a spring element 1378about a portion of the hinge, where the spring may function to deploythe rudders 1345,1346, and may bias the rudders 1345,1346 against theactuator rod 1349 when the rudders 1345,1346 are in operationalposition. FIG. 13D further depicts the rudders 1345,1346 abutting to theactuator rod 1349, and where the actuator rod 1349 is depicted asslideably supported by a back structural element (not shown). Theactuator rod 1349 may comprise bulbous ends 1372,1373 to connect to orabut the rudders 1345,1346. The actuator rod 1349 may have teeth thatmesh with a disk 1371 having compatible teeth converge at each apex. Theactuator 1370 effects the movement of the rudders 1345,1346 by engagingthe actuator rod 1349 via the disk 1371 by causing the disk 1371 torotate—about an axis depicted as perpendicular to the longitudinal axis1380 of the UAV.

FIGS. 14A-14F depict a back view of an exemplary deployment of therudder surfaces 1445,1446 and the UAV fuselage 1410. FIG. 14A is a backview of a tapered aft portion 1450 of the fuselage depicting the rudders1445,1446 as being in a folded state. In this embodiment the hinge line1460 can be seen as it tapers from the aft portion of the fuselagetowards the mid body. The hinge line 1460 is canted at a selected degreerelative to the longitudinal axis of the fuselage. FIG. 14B is the sameback view of the tapered aft portion depicting the rudders 1445,1446 asbeing in the beginning stages of deployment. In this embodiment, oncereleased, a resiliently mounted force or a spring loaded hinge inconjunction with wind resistance—may facilitate the motion of therudders about the hinge line 1460. FIG. 14C depicts the rudders1445,1446 as they are in mid-deployment, and rotating about the pivotline, e.g., the canted hinge line 1460. Wind resistance may be at thehighest point during a launch at this stage of deployment and so maypush the rudders toward the aft portion of the fuselage. FIG. 14Dfurther depicts the rudders 1445,1446 as they near the end of theirdeployment, and may stand against the tapered fuselage wall as deployed.FIG. 14E depicts the rudders 1445,1446 as being engaged by the actuatorand in this example, the rod 1449, which acts as a stopper to keep therudders in position, at which point they can achieve the least amount ofair resistance as they may be edge on into the wind vector. FIG. 14Fdepicts the movement of the rudders as they are engaged by the actuatorrod 1449, and depict the rotational axis associated with the rudders. Inthis embodiment, the rod pushes one of the rudders 1446 laterally so ascontrol the yawing motion of the UAV, e.g., to point the centerline ofthe UAV, and the other rudder 1445 is pulled and/or forced by wind,resilient hinge, and/or spring load force.

FIG. 15A illustrates a top view of an exemplary embodiment of the UAVportion 1500. This view shows a rotatable surface 1539 with the ruddersurfaces 1545,1546 mounted on the platform 1539—with the rudder surfacesdepicted as perpendicular to the platform—and an actuator inside thefuselage which may control the rotational movement of the platform 1539.FIG. 15B shows in side view the exemplary UAV where the rudder surface1545 is shown mounted substantially perpendicular to the longitudinalaxis of the UAV. The rudder 1545 is depicted as being fixed to therotatable surface where the rotatable surface 1539 and a portion of thefuselage housing are coplanar. In one embodiment the platform 1539 maybe in a well of the fuselage where the actuator shaft has a seal ring inorder to facilitate blocking the entrance of environmental elements. Insome embodiments the rudders 1545,1546 include a hinge and spring attheir roots so that the rudders can be folded flat against the fuselagefor storage and then be deployed to a substantially vertical positionfor operation.

FIG. 16 depicts a functional block diagram 1000 where, from autopilotprocessing 340, an elevator command 910, δ_(e), aileron command 920,δ_(a), and rudder command 1025, δ_(r), may be output as voltage commandsand may be combined according to mixer logic 930 to provide a portactuator command 931, a starboard actuator command 932, and a rudderactuator command 1070. The mixer logic 930 may be embodied as part ofthe autopilot processing or embodied as a separate module or circuit. Aport actuator 950 may be configured where positive voltages drive theport actuator horn in a retracting direction and negative voltages drivethe port actuator horn in an extending direction. Likewise, a starboardactuator 960 may be configured where positive voltages drive thestarboard actuator horn in a retracting direction and negative voltagesdrive the starboard actuator horn in an extending direction. The portactuator 950 and starboard actuator 960 may be configured withextension/retraction feedback that may further regulate and/or refinethe actuator horn positioning. In some embodiments, the air vehicle maybe configured so that the trailing edges maybe initially deflectedupward due to the rotational force provided by each of the respectiveresilient members. In an example where the airfoils are disposed alongthe bottom of the fuselage and the top of the fuselage is orientedskyward, the trailing edge deflections may produce upward pitchingmoments that in turn may be reduced or brought to null, i.e., trim, bythe rotational extension of each of the actuator horns. In someembodiments, linear actuators may replace the exemplary rotationalactuators actuating the contact horns or rod.

It is contemplated that various combinations and/or sub-combinations ofthe specific features and aspects of the above embodiments may be madeand still fall within the scope of the invention. Accordingly, it shouldbe understood that various features and aspects of the disclosedembodiments may be combined with or substituted for one another in orderto form varying modes of the disclosed invention. Further it is intendedthat the scope of the present invention herein disclosed by way ofexamples should not be limited by the particular disclosed embodimentsdescribed above.

What is claimed is:
 1. An aerial vehicle comprising: a fuselage,comprising a housing; a first airfoil, rotatably attached to thefuselage housing, the first airfoil comprising a first control surfaceresiliently mounted to the first airfoil, wherein the first controlsurface is articulated at a lineal joint about the first airfoil; and afirst actuator horn, disposed in the fuselage housing, the firstactuator horn extendible via a first fuselage housing aperture, whereinthe first actuator horn is extendible to oppose and contact the firstcontrol surface.
 2. The aerial vehicle of claim 1, further comprising: asecond airfoil, rotatably attached to the fuselage housing, the secondairfoil comprising a second control surface resiliently mounted to thesecond airfoil, wherein the second control surface is articulated at alineal joint about the second airfoil; and a second actuator horn,disposed in the fuselage housing, the second actuator horn extendiblevia a second fuselage housing aperture, wherein the second actuator hornis extendible to oppose the second control surface; and wherein thesecond airfoil opposes the first airfoil about the fuselage housing. 3.The aerial vehicle of claim 2, further comprising: a third airfoil,rotatably attached to the fuselage housing; a fourth airfoil, rotatablyattached to the fuselage housing; and wherein the third airfoil opposesthe fourth airfoil about an aft portion of the fuselage housing.
 4. Theaerial vehicle of claim 3, wherein the first airfoil and the secondairfoil are disposed at a position distal from the position of the thirdairfoil and the fourth airfoil.
 5. The aerial vehicle of claim 3,further comprising: a third control surface resiliently mounted to thethird airfoil, wherein the third control surface is a trailing edge ofthe third airfoil articulated at a lineal joint about the third airfoil.6. The aerial vehicle of claim 5, further comprising: a third actuatorhorn, disposed in the fuselage housing, the third actuator hornextendible via a third fuselage housing aperture, wherein the thirdactuator horn is extendible to oppose the third control surface.
 7. Theaerial vehicle of claim 6, further comprising: a fourth control surfaceresiliently mounted to the fourth airfoil, wherein the fourth controlsurface is a trailing edge of the fourth airfoil articulated at a linealjoint about the fourth airfoil.
 8. The aerial vehicle of claim 7,further comprising: a fourth actuator horn, disposed in the fuselagehousing, the fourth actuator horn extendible via a fourth fuselagehousing aperture, wherein the fourth actuator horn is extendible tooppose the fourth control surface.
 9. The aerial vehicle of claim 2,wherein the aerial vehicle is unmanned during operation.
 10. The aerialvehicle of claim 2, wherein the first airfoil is a port airfoil and thesecond airfoil is a starboard airfoil.
 11. The aerial vehicle of claim3, wherein the first airfoil and the third airfoil are port airfoils,and wherein the second airfoil and the fourth airfoil are starboardairfoils.
 12. The aerial vehicle of claim 1, wherein the first fuselagehousing aperture is located on a bottom of the fuselage housing, andwherein the first actuator horn is extendible through the first fuselagehousing aperture to contact a top surface of the first control surface.13. The aerial vehicle of claim 2, wherein the second fuselage housingaperture is located on a bottom of the fuselage housing proximate to thefirst fuselage housing aperture, and wherein the second actuator horn isextendible through the second fuselage housing aperture to contact a topsurface of the second control surface.
 14. The aerial vehicle of claim1, wherein the lineal joint about the first airfoil further comprises acoating to fill a lineal gap between the first airfoil and the firstcontrol surface.
 15. The aerial vehicle of claim 2, wherein the linealjoint about the second airfoil further comprises a coating to fill alineal gap between the second airfoil and the second control surface.16. The aerial vehicle of claim 1, wherein the first control surface isa trailing edge of the first airfoil articulated at the lineal jointabout the first airfoil.
 17. The aerial vehicle of claim 1, wherein thefirst control surface is a leading edge of the first airfoil articulatedat the lineal joint about the first airfoil.
 18. The aerial vehicle ofclaim 2, wherein the second control surface is a trailing edge of thefirst airfoil articulated at the lineal joint about the first airfoil.19. The aerial vehicle of claim 2, wherein the second control surface isa leading edge of the first airfoil articulated at the lineal jointabout the first airfoil.
 20. The aerial vehicle of claim 3, wherein thefirst airfoil, the second airfoil, the third airfoil, and the fourthairfoil are rotatable between a retracted position disposed on a bottomportion of the fuselage housing and a deployed position perpendicular toa longitudinal axis of the fuselage housing.